Trouble
by MDDC26
Summary: Three murders, an unlikely suspect.. and a vengeful twist.
1. Chapter 1: Holly

**CHAPTER ONE**

When Gibbs heard the gunshot ring through the air, he immediately unholstered his weapon and ran toward the sound of the shot. He rounded the corner cautiously; in front of him was a red headed woman, lying face down in a pool of blood. He pulled his gun up from his side and looked around carefully.

He knelt by the body to check for a pulse, but not holding much hope. As he pushed her hair back, his hand faltered in recognition. He almost fell backwards from his crouching position next to her.

"Shit,"

"FREEZE!" two Metro cops came down the side street behind Gibbs, "Put down the weapon sir, and put your hands behind your head."

"I'm a federal officer," Gibbs said getting to his feet, "I'm just going to pull out my badge,"

"Don't move! Put the gun down sir, or I will be forced to shoot," Gibbs lowered his weapon slowly to the ground. The other cop came up behind him and kicked the weapon to his partner. He roughly grabbed one of Gibbs' hands and put the handcuffs on him. Gibbs sighed in frustration,

"Reach into my jacket pocket, my badge is in there. I heard the shot and came to investigate, I'm with NCIS. Special Agent Gibbs,"

The two cops refused to believe him and pulled him into the cruiser. He was taken down to the Station and put in interrogation.

"I'd like to make a phone call if you don't mind?" He asked. The cop handed him a cell phone and left the room. Gibbs was very aware of the camera in the room, and the microphone he felt under the desk in front of him. Flipping open the cell, he dialled a familiar number.

"Cynthia, its Gibbs. Can you get the director?"

"One moment special Agent Gibbs, I'll patch you through."

_Jethro,_

"Jen... I'm in a bit of trouble."

_What kind of trouble._

"The serious kind... Metro PD just arrested me for the murder of my ex wife." He heard her laugh on the other end of the line.

_Very funny Gibbs,_

"Well you're the only person laughing Jen." There was a long silence before,

_What the hell happened?_

"I was at the market; I heard a gunshot and rushed toward it. Metro found me with a gun next to her body and arrested me."

_... Only you would run toward a gunshot. Did you show them your badge?_

"No, they wouldn't let me. They've shoved me into interrogation, and I'm waiting for someone to get their arse in here so I show them my badge and get the hell out of here:"

_Was your gun recently fired?_ There was silence on Gibb's end of the line.

_Gibbs!_

"It was earlier today. I had no other choice at that point. I didn't know I was going to be accused of murder tonight Jen," Jenny sighed.

_I'll send DiNozzo down. He'll help sort things out._

"I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?" Gibbs growled, Jenny had to smile,

_Probably not, but he's the best you got. Take it or leave it._ With that she hung up. So Gibbs waited.

Finally, a metro cop came into the room.

"Special Agent Gibbs?"

"Finally! What's going on?"

"Your gun was recently fired,"

"We were working a case today. I had to fire it, but I never shot Holly."

"Holly?"

"The victim... she was my ex wife."


	2. Chapter 2: Metro PD

**CHAPTER TWO:**

"Cynthia, can you call agent DiNozzo up here for me please."

"Yes Director." Jenny Sheppard rubbed her face with her hands. How did Gibbs' team manage to get themselves into so much trouble? The other teams were perfectly fine, and got into as little trouble as possible! Her line of thought ended when the door creaked open.

"Director?"

"Ah Tony, come in. We've got a slight problem."

"Slight problem,"

"Gibbs got himself arrested for murder." Tony's eyebrows shot up in surprise,

"No way!" Tony laughed, "Gibbs wouldn't get arrested for murder."

"Well apparently he has... I want you to go to Metro PD and see if you can find out what's happening."

"Sure thing," Tony left the room and went down into the bullpen, "Ziva, Probie! With me,"

The other two hurried to catch up, McGee slipping through the elevator door just before it closed.

"Another case?"

"Sort of... The boss is in trouble,"

"The boss can look after himself DiNozzo."

"He's been arrested McGee. There's not much he can do about this mess!" There was shocked silence in the elevator broken only by the sound of the bell to signal the elevator had stopped. Tony stepped out of the elevator in time to stop the door from closing on his team mate's shocked faced. He clicked his fingers in front of their faces,

"Today people, the boss doesn't like to be kept waiting." Ziva and McGee ran out of the elevator.

They arrived at the Metro Police station about 15 minutes later. DiNozzo flashed his badge at the officer on the desk,

"What can Metro do for NCIS today?" ask the officer.

"You're holding our boss, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs as a suspect in a murder investigation...I'm special agent Anthony DiNozzo" The cop looked at Tony with a weird expression before going to get his superior.

"Special Agent DiNozzo?" a man walked out from behind a partition, he introduced himself, before leading the way to their interrogation rooms.

"Your boss is... waiting for you." He said, "But we're still going to hold him. He was found at the murder scene with his gun drawn,"

DiNozzo, Ziva and McGee went into the room to find Gibbs sitting on one of the chairs waiting impatiently, a coffee cup on the table.

"About time DiNozzo, am I free to go yet?"

"Not yet boss... They want to keep you for questioning. If you don't mind me asking, what were you doing with your gun drawn in an alley next to a dead body?"

His only reply was a sour look. DiNozzo got the hint.

"She was my ex wife, DiNozzo," Tony blanched,

"Which one?"

"My first..." Gibbs replied and for once Tony was silent, "How the hell am I getting out of here DiNozzo?"

"The Director is working on it boss."

"Tell her to work faster..." Just then, the same police officer came into the room.

"Agent Gibbs, sorry about the delay, we have a few questions before you're set free, if your people would like to leave the room?" They all looked at Gibbs.

"They stay here." The cop looked at the three agents who'd moved to stand behind their boss, before shrugging.

"Suit yourself. Tell me, why were you in that lane to begin with?"

"I heard the shot fired and ran towards it. It's instinctive,"

"Wouldn't it be logical to keep away from gunfire?" Gibbs raised an eyebrow,

"Would you as a cop, not automatically see what you could do to help?" The officer agreed grudgingly,

"What did you do once you reached the victim?"

"I checked for a pulse, that's when your officers showed up."

"That was all you did?"

"Yes," Gibbs replied,

"So you haven't seen this before then?" he slid a plastic evidence bag across the table, inside it there was a small card,

_Two down, one to go_

"I've never seen this before."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm damn sure, the woman was my ex-wife... I wouldn't murder her; I got rid of her through this thing... it's called divorce... Is there anything other than my presence connecting me to the scene?" Gibbs asked irritably, when the officer didn't reply, Gibbs stood.

"Then I'm free to leave."

"Be sure to stay in reach," the officer said warningly,

"I'm not going anywhere if that's what you mean."

Ziva and McGee kept quiet the whole time; Gibbs seemed to have things under control. McGee was just wondering why they'd even come. Gibbs led them out of the station, stopping only to collect his gun. The Metro police refused to return it, saying that it was evidence. He was furious, muttering something about the audacity of bloody MP's. Before the other three could protest He slid into the driver's seat of their unlocked car.

"Keys." He barked. McGee handed them over swiftly. The short ride was harrowing at best. Gibbs temper had reached an all time high. They stopped at a market near Gibbs' house.

"Boss?" McGee asked uncertainly.

"It's the crime scene, grab your gear from the trunk." he replied impatiently getting out of the car. The other three followed him to the lane where Holly was murdered.

"DiNozzo, shoot and sketch. Ziva..." he pulled out his PDA, "There's a photo of Holly on there, see if anyone saw her." Ziva sent the photo to her own PDA, handed him back his one and left.

"McGee, see if you can find anything Metro missed. Be quick about it people."

The team scoured the lane, from top to bottom collecting samples for Abby. It was dark before their job was complete. Gibbs made a phone call to Ducky, asking him to find out the details of the autopsy through his contacts.

"This stays between us, understand? Metro finds out we're investigating her murder and there will be hell to pay." The team nodded, and went back to the car. The drive back to NCIS was tension filled and silent. They arrived and McGee took the evidence down to Abby. Tony and Ziva were put to work, trying to piece together the last days before Holly died. Gibbs paced, and muttered. He was breathing down their necks and making them nervous. Finally he went down to see Ducky, allowing the two agents to breathe a sigh of relief.

"What ya got for me, Duck?" Gibbs asked as he strode into Autopsy.

"It seems poor Holly did not go willingly into that lane way... The marks on her wrists indicate she was bound. There is no indication that she was in any way abused before her death. She suffered a single point blank shot to the forehead. The coroner has indicated the bullet was of small calibre. Abby should be able make a more accurate presumption."

"Thanks Duck,"

"I'm not finished Jethro. They also found a hand mark gripping her shoulder, it had begun to bruise. They ran it against your fingerprints but didn't find a match. You're in the clear for now... Jethro, do you think this was a coincidence?"

"You know how I feel about coincidences, Duck." As Gibbs swept out the doors of Autopsy, Ducky muttered under his breath,

"As Tony would say... In the immortal words of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, I don't believe in coincidences."


	3. Chapter 3: Two More

**Chapter Three**

Gibbs arrived the next morning to find his entire team already working; he couldn't help but let a small smile escape.

"Agent Gibbs," called Director Sheppard from the landing, "a word in my office." Gibbs took one look at her worried expression and raced upstairs. She led him into her office and shut the door. Picking up a remote control, she switched on the television without preamble; the early news had been recorded.

"Two more murders have taken place; Stephanie Flynn and another unidentified female were both shot in similar circumstances. Early reports suggest both were bound. The first had been dead for a day or two before metro police were called. The second was shot in the early hours of this morning. The similarities in features to the earlier murder of Holly James is eerie,"

Gibbs paled.

"Ex wife three," he muttered, "What's the bet the other body is Diane?" As he spoke, photos of the two women were shown onscreen, Stephanie and Diane. Then a photo of Holly was brought up too.

"Jethro," Jenny began softly, "why would people target your ex wives?"

"Isn't it obvious, Jen?" he said bitterly, "They have a problem with me,"

"Can you get us access to those crime scenes?" Gibbs asked. Jenny shook her head,

"You're likely to be a suspect and we have no jurisdiction, this time we'll just have to sit it out."

"SIT IT OUT?" Gibbs shouted in frustration, "JEN, THIS BASTARD JUST KILLED ALL THREE OF MY EX WIVES."

"I know Jethro, but there's nothing I can do. I'm sorry." Gibbs left the room without another word. Rationally he knew she was right... Irrationally however he was still angry with her. Pulling out his phone, he dialled a familiar number and left Jenny's office.

"Hey Tobias, we have a problem." He stopped short,

_Gibbs, what the hell is going on? I got a call from Metro telling me we may have a serial killer on the loose, three women dead in the same style, with similar features._

"I know,"

_And then I get a call telling me one of them is Diane. When I look further into it, guess what I discover?_

"All three of them are my ex-wives." He said as he walked across the landing.

_And you don't have an alibi for the time of the murders, do you?_

"What are you accusing me of Tobias?" he heard a drawn out sigh on the other end of the line.

_Nothing Jethro... but someone definitely has a problem with you. You are the __**only**__ thing other than their physical features these three have in common._

"And what are the odds of a serial killer with a fetish for red hair killing all my ex wives? Are you taking this case?"

_Yeah, but you know I can't have you guys working on it officially. I'll give you copies of everything we find._

"What's the point of us sitting on the sidelines? I know these women, we can help." He asked irritably, descending the staircase.

_You can't Jethro, from an investigator's stand point you're an ideal suspect._

Gibbs sighed in frustration, "Did they each have a card on them?" there was silence on the other end of the phone line,

_How did you know that?_

"Metro PD found a card on Holly; it said two down, one to go."

_Yeah, Stephanie was killed first. The card on her said _One down, two to go_... _

_The one on Diane said ..._None Left._ Jethro, somebody definitely had a problem with you._

"Send me what you have. I'll keep you updated if we find anything."

_Do me a favour. Go through a list of people who have a reason to hate you._

"That's a lot of people Tobias, a hell of a lot."

_You think? There's nothing else you can do. Sit tight..._

Gibbs shut the phone and looked around the bullpen.

"Tony, what you got?"

"They found blood under one of her nails; given she was lying in a pool of blood, that might not be considered so unusual, but there was no blood under any other fingernail. It seems she may have dug it into the hand of one of her captors. Metro is running the DNA now. I have a buddy who'll let me know when it's done," DiNozzo said, "I think the scene was staged boss. She was killed there, but... She was there for a reason."

"Ziva?"

"Holly disappeared between, 0400 and 0600 that morning. Since she is currently unattached nobody noticed that she wasn't around... but then her neighbour noticed that she didn't come out of her apartment at the usual hour and started sniffing about,"

"Nosing about, Ziva." Tony corrected.

"How does one nose about?" she asked in confusion, "never mind, the neighbour had access to her apartment and noticed signs of a struggle. He called the police. When I canvassed the neighbourhood with the photo, only one person recalled seeing her. She was walking down the street with a man gripping her shoulder. They didn't get a good look at him, but he was taller than her and had dark hair."

"McGee," Gibbs snapped,

"Abby is still working on the evidence we sent to her, but so far nothing. Metro didn't miss much."

"Well, there have been two other murders." Gibbs said sharply, "It seems Metro missed something."

"Who else?" asked McGee

"Stephanie Flynn and Diane Caine,"

"Boss..."

"Pointing out the obvious isn't going to help DiNozzo," When the other two just looked confused, Gibbs elaborated.

"They were my three ex wives."

There was dead silence in the office after that admission; the only thing that broke it was the _ding_ of the elevator doors opening. The man who stepped out wasn't entirely unwelcome.

"Tobias, you got here in a hurry." Gibbs said but Fornell's expression was grim.

"Do you have that list I asked for?"

Gibbs shook his head,

"I only rang you half an hour ago Tobias, I haven't even had the chance to brief my team. What brings you here so damn fast?"

Fornell dropped the two files on the desk. Gibbs reached for them, but had them pulled out of his grasp.

"Can we have a word Jethro?" Fornell asked. Gibbs looked at him for a moment before leading the way to their usual conference room. Fornell flipped the emergency switch, and the elevator jerked to a halt.

"They want me to arrest you and bring you in for further questioning, so when you rang I was already on my way. Damn it Jethro my hands are tied here,"

"How's Emily holding up?" Gibbs asked quietly. Fornell was silent.

"She doesn't understand why mum isn't coming back. She keeps asking for her.... I don't know what to do."

"I'm sorry Tobias... I really am. But I had nothing to do with those murders. I've never raised a hand to a woman. I'm not damn well going to start now."

"I know that... But who would have the balls to frame you."

"That's what we need to find out. How long to I have before they push for you to take me into custody Tobias?"

"...Maybe 12 hours, less," Tobias shook his head, "I can't stall them much longer. They're out for your blood this time. It's too much of a coincidence in their eyes."

Fornell hit the switch once more and the elevators opened back into the bullpen.


	4. Chapter 4: Released

**CHAPTER FOUR:**

The two men stepped out of the elevator, to find the team already working on who could be framing Gibbs. They collected a list of arrestees, much like when Tony had been framed. Some were crossed off because they were dead. Others were still in prison. Some didn't have the reach to do something like this. Suddenly there was a call from across the bullpen.

"Boss! Guess who was recently released from prison... Ricky Napolitano!"

Gibbs and Fornell frowned simultaneously.

"That's too much of a coincidence." Gibbs said, Fornell privately agreed.

"His father had a grudge against Fornell, and now I'll bet he's getting back at you for sending him to prison. Boss, this guy is seriously connected."

"What about Jimmy Naps?" Fornell asked, but Tony shook his head.

"I don't think so, last anyone heard they weren't talking... but you never know he could be helping."

"Tobias, is there any evidence connecting them to the murders?" Fornell shook his head,

"Nope,"

"What about the bloody under Holly's fingernails?" Gibbs asked. Tony, dialled a number quickly,

"James, its Tony, did you get the results?" Tony was silent before a relieved look crossed his face.

"Sal Balducci? Thanks," He shut the phone, "Napolitano's enforcer. His DNA was found under her finger nails."

The bullpen was silent for a few minutes. Gibbs mind flashed back to the conversation he'd had with Jimmy Napolitano before the meeting in Coleman Park.

"...he threatened to kill all my male relatives. I told him that all of them were dead or non-existent but I had three ex wives whom I'd gladly give him the names and addresses of. That's when he hung up on me, looks like he took my advice." Gibbs was feeling a bit in shock. He couldn't believe he'd remembered that comment four years later.

"That's why he's after them. I don't think he knows about Jenny or Hollis Mann. But they know DiNozzo, and McGee. Maybe they know about Abby too. He's going after the women. Damn it!"

"Gibbs, even if you are the target. The FBI isn't going to believe it without evidence. Sal Balducci is hired muscle. You're still a suspect and you need something to back this up,"

"My gut!" snapped Gibbs, "I'm going for coffee." The team watched as he left the office. Then they looked at Fornell.

"You pissed him off real bad this time." Tony said, almost in awe.

"Shut up Dinotso, one day that gut of his is going to get him into trouble."

"It hasn't yet."

Fornell walked away. McGee, Tony and Ziva looked at each other. They hurried back to their desks and got to work tracing the Napolitano's movements for the past month. Time flew past, and Ziva absently mindedly checked her watch.

"Where is Gibbs?" Ziva asked. The boys both checked their watches. Concern etched itself into both of their faces when they realised the boss had been gone over four hours, without returning once to check on their progress.

Tony reached for the phone on his desk, and dialled Gibbs' house and cell phone numbers. After the tenth call in a matter of twenty minutes, McGee picked up his own phone and rang Fornell.

"Agent Fornell, Have you spoken to Gibbs since he left?" The other two agents held their breath, McGee face looked crestfallen and they had their answer.

"He hasn't been back to the office in a couple of hours." McGee stared confusedly at the phone in his hand before replacing it in the receiver.

"He hung up."

Tony had continued to ring Gibbs' phone and he finally got an answer.

"Boss?" when DiNozzo got no reply, he repeated himself.

"Not your boss, but don't stress, you'll get him back. By the way I would find the lab rat if I were you." The phone clicked shut. DiNozzo sprang out of his chair and raced down to the Lab.

"ABBY!" he yelled, drawing the gun from its holster. His eyes swept the lab for some sign of the intruder, before he saw her laying face down on the ground, and he could see bruising on her arms. Shoving the gun back into the holster he knelt by her and felt for a pulse, he almost let out a sob of relief when he could feel her heart beat.

Opening his cell, he dialled for an ambulance.

"You'll be fine Abbs," he muttered, more to reassure himself than anything else.

"DiNozzo," called McGee from the corridor, he and Ziva walked in, guns drawn. Their eyes widened in shock as she took in the damage to Abby's body.

"Is she..." McGee asked, Tony shook his head and they both gave a sigh of relief. DiNozzo spotted a small white card in the pocket of Abby's coat. Using a tissue, he picked it up and read the message,

_Found your boss?_

DiNozzo felt the sudden urge to punch something... hard. He passed the note to McGee who gave it silently to Ziva. Ziva said something unintelligible.

They waited together, the three of them for the EMT's. McGee went with Abby to the hospital, feeling a little guilty that he wouldn't be helping look for Gibbs. He knew Gibbs, Ziva and Tony were quite capable of handling themselves. He just hoped he wouldn't have to see them in hospital too.

The two remaining members of the team raced back to the bullpen. Ziva began a trace on Gibbs' phone. Tony looked up when he heard the elevator doors open, much to his disappointment, it was Fornell and another FBI suit.

"Any sign of him?" Tony and Ziva shook their heads. Fornell swore vehemently,

"Damn it! If he's done a runner..." Tony looked at him coldly.

"Gibbs doesn't do runners.... he doesn't know how."


	5. Chapter 5: One Hell of a Headache

**CHAPTER FIVE:**

**Author's Note:** This is a little violent. Just so you know before reading.

Gibbs watched Ricky Napolitano warily. He hadn't seen them coming. It wasn't the wisest idea to go with them, but given it was five to one, the odds were definitely not in his favour. Of course the barrel of a gun he felt pressing against his side may have also swayed his decision. Glancing beside him, the two men were fairly muscular. The way they gripped his arms tightly, it was clear they'd done this before.

"Agent Gibbs," Napolitano said with a smirk on his face,

"Little Dicky," He knew the blow was coming, and felt a small measure of satisfaction when the fist connected with his chin,

"It's Ricky..." he said calmly,

"I don't really care, little Dicky," replied Gibbs, spitting the blood from his mouth, "What do you want?"

"I just spent four years in prison because of you... nobody does that to a Napolitano and gets away with it."

"Looks like I did... for a short while anyway," the second blow connected sharply with his right eye, "What? You don't like the truth, little Dicky."

Ricky pulled something out from a drawer behind him,

"Do you know what Primacord is Agent Gibbs?" he asked as he wrapped the cord around Gibbs' neck.

"When your little agents find us... I'll ask them the same question. But in the meantime," he watched as little Ricky wrapped his knuckles and then slipped gloves with steel plated knuckles on.

Gibbs closed his eyes; this was going to hurt like hell.

The first kick dropped him to the floor like a tonne of bricks, and he fought to breathe. As the two men holding him lost their grip, Gibbs seized his chance. He shot to his feet, one elbow connecting with the guy on his left, and he swung he fist and broke the nose of the man on his right. But his relief was short lived as something connected with the back of his head and all he saw was black.

When he regained consciousness, his arms were bound behind his back. He was barely standing on his feet, being supported by two men.

"You're awake... That was quite a show back there." Ricky said, "Pity you weren't faster, vecchio. Four years of hell, you bastard," he said, "I had to endure... things you wouldn't even imagine,"

"I'm" the punch landed on his other eye,

"Going" another blow to his cheek,

"To" one to the other cheek,

"Kill" and another to his nose,

"You!" before he kicked him in the gut. Ricky rubbed his knuckles and shook them a little to ease the stinging.

"And I'm going to thoroughly enjoy it,"

He could only hope that his team found him soon, because Marine or not... He was going to have one hell of a headache by the time this was over.


	6. Chapter 6: Primacord

**CHAPTER SIX:**

Ziva, by some stroke of fortune finally got a hit on Gibbs' cell. She, Tony and much to their chagrin, Fornell headed to the address with all possible speed, which turned out to be a double story house just out of the suburban area. There was muscle at the front door, two men in black sitting casually at a table on the porch. The three were unsure of whether they were armed and assumed therefore that they were.

Fornell called in for extra FBI back up, but the two NCIS agents refused to wait. They walked up to the house calmly.

"Excuse me," Ziva asked brightly, "We just moved in to the suburb so we don't know the area well. Would you be able to tell us where Maple Road is please?"

The two men looked at each other dubiously, and then back at Tony and Ziva. One of them pointed and gave them instructions on how to get there. Ziva saw the butt of a gun sticking out from a holster beneath his jacket. Tony's eyes swept the other man's body and saw the faint outline of a gun pressed against his stomach. He attempted to see inside the house and saw what were possibly three other men.

"Thank you so much," she gushed, "I don't know what we would have done otherwise," Tony placed his hand on the small of her back and lead her back to their car.

"Remove your hand or I will shoot you." she threatened quietly, Tony just flicked a half hearted grin at her and moved his hand, as they walked away from the house there was the unmistakeable sound of gunfire and a cry of pain.

"That's the boss," Tony said to Ziva, he pulled the gun from the holster and turned back to the house,

"Tony, we should wait for back-up!" Ziva said,

"To hell with back up... NCIS; don't move." The two men in front of the house pulled their weapons out but were both dead before their first shots were fired. The front door of the house burst open and Tony and Ziva ducked for cover behind the brick fence surrounding the property as they were shot at. They blindly returned fire and they heard at least one man fall.

Ziva reloaded her weapon and rounded the corner. Two men were advancing from the front porch. She aimed at the kneecaps, intending to disable not to kill. Both collapsed to the ground in pain. Tony took their weapons and threw one to Ziva just in case, they searched them for extra weapons or cell phones and threw these aside. They climbed the steps just as Fornell and his partner caught up to them,

"You were supposed to wait for back up, damn it!" he hissed angrily. Tony shrugged.

"Too late," he pushed open the front door quietly. The Tony and Ziva went in before the two FBI agents, clearing each room. They had two options left when they didn't find anything; upstairs or down.

"Fornell, you and Agent Mendez take upstairs. Ziva we'll go downstairs."

Ziva pushed ahead of Tony, gun pointed low. They reached a door at the bottom of a steep set of stairs, Ziva stood to the side and tested the handle. Finding it unlocked, she motioned to Tony. He stepped out in front of the door, and raised his gun, ready to shoot.

"NCIS!" Ziva called, pushing open the door. The scene that greeted them was an unusual one. Gibbs was standing over two bodies and a third man was holding a gun to his head and a cord around his neck. Tony scanned the room and noticed a door about three metres directly to the right of Napolitano; he glanced at Ziva and then glanced back at the door, hoping she'd noticed it too.

"You took your sweet time," said the man with a sneer, "It probably would have been better for Agent Gibbs if you had arrived earlier."

Tony and Ziva really took notice of the boss' haggard appearance. He was battered and bruised to the point of exhaustion.

"Ricky Napolitano?" Tony said cautiously,

"The one and only," he said, "Your boss here? He's a smart man; put me away for four stinking years. My father, bastardo maladetto, didn't do a damn thing about it... one at a time."

"Put the gun down Ricky, killing him isn't gonna get you anywhere."

"Want to bet?" he asked, "By the way, Tony? Can I call you Tony? Do you know what Primacord is?" Ziva's eyes widened, and said something under her breath. Ricky noticed and laughed

"Looks like your girlfriend does," he said, "Your boss was going to blow my head off with it... I think I'll return the favour."

"You'll blow us all to smithereens." Ziva hissed, "You wouldn't dare."

"But are you willing to risk it?" Ricky asked,

**Author's note: **_I'm not sure if the Italian is right. It might be dialect... or it could be gibberish lol._


	7. Chapter 7: WHAT!

**CHAPTER SEVEN:**

"Think about it, you don't want to kill yourself along with Gibbs," Tony said quickly, "I know you want revenge on your father for leaving you in prison. So, if you use the primacord you won't get a chance to,"

Ziva took a step closer to Gibbs and Napolitano, hoping to escape his sight. There was no such luck however as Napolitano trained his gun on her.

"Don't move." Ziva raised one hand in a surrendering gesture, but kept the gun still aimed at Napolitano.

A slight movement caught Tony's eye as the door beside Napolitano opened slightly. Thanking God it made no sound; Tony looked quickly back at Ricky and spoke.

"Ricky, what do you want? Maybe something can be arranged." Ricky sneered,

"I want your boss and my father dead. Can you arrange that?" he asked the sneer never leaving his face.

"Guess not," Tony muttered under his breath, and then more loudly he said, "If you kill both of them you'll spend the rest of your life in prison. I don't think you'd enjoy that."

"With all of you people dead... There's nothing to tie me to agent Gibbs' murder. It'll be a tragic accident... As for my father, well there are lots of stairs in his house, he might just go for a little...trip."

Ziva saw him fingering the detonator in his pocket; she tightened her grip on her gun, hoping to get a shot at him. The two men on the ground began to stir and she aimed her gun at them instead.

"Move and you die," she told them. Both of them froze instantly,

"What are you doing?" Ricky asked them, "Get up!"

Before the two agents could react, the men were up and charged suddenly at them. Ziva struggled with one, fighting to breath as his hands encircled her throat. She stepped squarely on his foot before punching him in the stomach. The hands around her neck loosened, and she grabbed the back of his head and brought it down toward her knee where the collided with a satisfying thud.

Tony was bent double from a knee to the groin, when at last the FBI decided to intervene;

"FBI, drop your weapon!" The door beside Napolitano burst open and Fornell and his agent swept in. Ricky backed away pulling Gibbs inexorably with him; the Primacord around his neck slowly choking him, his face was going a mottled red.

Tony took the chance to surprise and overcome his attacker,

"I swear to God, I'll blow him to smithereens," Napolitano shouted over the din. Gibbs' blue eyes flashed a steely grey, DiNozzo took advantage of the confusion caused by the altercation;

"Down boss!" he called and Gibbs threw himself to the side. Ricky's hand fumbled for the detonator, but two rounds hit him in the chest and he fell, the detonator clattered to the floor. Gibbs stood patiently as DiNozzo cut the bonds from his hands. Finally freed, he ripped the primacord from around his throat and threw it angrily to the side.

The two FBI agents made their way over to Napolitano, and Fornell pronounced him dead. Gibbs went over to the body and in a move that belied his injured form kicked Napolitano squarely in the ribs. The body was thrown backward and there was a crack as his head slammed into a wall.

"Bastard." Gibbs said vehemently, his moment of defiance was short lived as the sharp pain in his ribs was slowly wearing down even his incredible endurance, and his legs were going numb. His eyes slowly glazed over and he collapsed on the spot. Tony leapt forward to stop him from falling, Ziva right behind him. They were too slow as he toppled to the floor.

"Gibbs?" Ziva said worriedly, they knelt by his still form and turned him onto his back gently. He was taking shallow breaths, and seemed to have trouble focussing on them.

"Boss, hold on we'll get you to the hospital." Gibbs tried to nod, but the room swam in and out of focus.

For the second time that day, they stood together watching the EMT's as they arrived on scene. Only this time both of them accompanied him. They were there when Gibbs argued with the medic about going home, and then when he was too weak to argue.

The two team members sat tiredly in the waiting room, hoping for good news.

"Tony, Ziva!" McGee rushed in.

"Is Gibbs okay?" he asked,

"He'll be fine McGee, the boss is practically indestructible." Tony said confidently. Ziva looked at him but stayed silent. Gibbs had been beaten badly. A doctor finally called for the family of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

The three of them made their way over to her, and a feeling of intense relief washed over them as she smiled;

"He's going to be okay, as long as he rests." This made Tony snort disbelievingly,

"He's sustained severe damage to his rib cage but surprisingly enough there was no damage to his organs, he has a broken nose and bleeding in his skull. We stopped the bleeding before it got too out of hand. He won't be able to work for at least two months."

"You _told _him that," Tony said in awe,

"And survived?" Ziva was surprised. The doctor just looked confused.

"I'm going to tell him now. Did you want to come in and see him?" The three agents looked at each other, and simultaneously shook their heads.

"No, anyone for coffee?" McGee asked, the other two practically ran to catch up with him as he sped down the hall. It was a lone and bemused doctor who went in to inform the patient of the extent of his injuries and the length of his enforced rest. Down the hall, the team heard his familiar bellow.

"WHAT?"

Gibbs was going to be _just_ fine... The same probably couldn't be said for the doctor.

**Author's note:** _Well, that's all folks. I'd like to thank the people who took the time to review one or more chapters. I hope you enjoyed it._


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